LW John Gaudreau - Boston College, HE (2011, 104th overall, Calgary)

whoops. Probably still 5'7'' haha, my mistake. Still bigger then he was drafted, plus he was quite young as far as his draft year. On the off chance he reaches 5'9'' i could see him being a pretty decent NHLer from everything i've seen and heard about him.

You know with modern science where it is today, there's gotta be some kind of hormone or something that they can give this kid, maybe boost him up a couple inches? It's 2011, I know there's a way.

Yes.

It involves breaking both legs, inserting steel rods into both sides of the break, and slowly pulling the bones apart. It is one of the most painful procedures a patient can go through, and the healing time is several months.

It's usually only used on people who have one leg shorter than the other or people afflicted with dwarfism.

It involves breaking both legs, inserting steel rods into both sides of the break, and slowly pulling the bones apart. It is one of the most painful procedures a patient can go through, and the healing time is several months.

It's usually only used on people who have one leg shorter than the other or people afflicted with dwarfism.

Good luck trying to do that with an athlete.

I saw that on Nip/Tuck once. So weird.

And yeah, it's obviously a fluff piece. There have been tons of guys his size that have been drafted and never seen a minute of NHL action. He may be skilled but he'll need more than a few years of work to be even considered for a shot in the majors.

1) Win a state high school hockey championship with the boys from the neighborhood?
Or
2) Have your name called by the Minnesota Wild during the NHL Entry Draft just a half hour away from home?

Eden Prairie’s Nick Seeler accomplished both in a matter of three months.

“It’s an incredible feeling growing up and going to the games and watching the games and wanting to be a Wild player one day,” Seeler said. “And knowing you get an opportunity to be one.”

Xcel Energy Center has been awfully good to the gritty defenseman, who was selected in the fifth round (131st overall) Saturday afternoon in front of friends and family.

Seeler, who played with Wild second-round pick Mario Lucia on Triple-A teams, wasn’t on most pundits’ prospect lists, but his game – and stature – grew quickly during the 2010-2011 season with the state champion Eagles.

From 5-11 to almost 6-2 in one year, Wild Assistant General Manager Brent Flahr likes what he sees.

“Nick Seeler is a guy we saw throughout the year. He’s a competitive kid, can skate and moves the puck,” Flahr said. “We like his potential.”

In 28 games, Seeler scored 9 goals and 34 assists for 43 points for the Eagles. Highlights include a four-point performance against Bloomington Jefferson (two goals, two assists) and a whopping six assists against Hopkins, both during the regular season.

At crunch time, Seeler showed up. He tallied three assists in three section playoff games and scored six points (two goals, four assists) in Eden Prairie’s three games at the state tournament.

The Wild’s fifth-round pick might not have been fierce with the media Saturday, but he can be punishing on the ice, a quality not overlooked in the hockey world.

“I play with a nasty disposition I guess you could say,” said Seeler, whose sister Kelly plays hockey for the Gophers and oldest sister Ashley played soccer at the University of Minnesota.

University of Nebraska-Omaha Head Coach Dean Blais wants in on the action. The plan for Seeler is to play one year with Muskegon in the USHL before manning the blue line for the upstart Mavericks.

He’s got a feisty, physical demeanor along with good vision, hockey sense and a hard shot – desirable qualities for any defensive prospect.

“It’s definitely the beginning of hopefully a long journey,” Seeler said. “It just starts now. You have to keep working. The NHL guys are so good. I just have to keep working at the little things to get better and hopefully one day play for the Wild.”

Sounds to me like this kid is going to be the steal of the draft. Did you read the adjectives they used for him!? Absolute steal in the 5th round!

The 5-9, 160-pounder is on this list for one reason and one only: his skating. He is perhaps the best skater in the entire draft with tremendous acceleration, speed and agility. He plays with a high energy level and never stops moving his feet. The explosive little waterbug is going to the University of Minnesota-Duluth and is a draft wildcard for sure, but is someone to watch as he matures and develops. If he can prove he has the sense to go with his wheels, he could get a shot in the big show eventually.

Im sure alot of teams drafted small super skilled players late in the past few years. May even be a somewhat fresh topic for this board.

He has done really well in his rookie season. Everyone ahead of him in scoring is atleast a junior with the lone exception being fellow Flames prospect Bill Arnold who is a sophomore.

He was also one of the youngest guy drafted last year so hopefully he manages to grow a little more. He doesn't need to hit 6 feet or anything, but if can get up to about 5'9," with his skillset and ability, he may well turn into something 5 or 6 years down the road.

With 6 points in his past two game (and this game isn't even up yet), he is certainly starting to take a hold.

Watched his game tonight. He and Kreider were the more visible players on the ice. Small, but shifty and fast as hell. He can really fire the puck too. His size may be an issue in reaching the NHL, but this is still a hell of a pick by Calgary.